Château Meyney

Château Meyney occupies a prime position in St Estèphe, with a single 51-hectare parcel of vines on a sloping rise next to Ch. Montrose and overlooking the Gironde estuary.

Ch. Meyney also benefits from a distinctive array of soil types which together provide ideal conditions for Cabernet Sauvignon (55%), Merlot (30%) and a generous share of Petit Verdot (15%) – this latter giving the wines their attractive, spicy signature.

In her book Inside Bordeaux, Jane Anson writes that she considers Ch. Meyney to be worthy of fifth growth classification by today’s standards.

Vines were planted at the site of Ch. Meyney in 1662, making it one of the oldest vineyards in the Médoc. Originally part of a convent, it has had only three owners since then, the latest being CA Grands Crus, a subsidiary of the Crédit Agricole Group.

They purchased Meyney in 2004 along with Ch. Grand-Puy Ducasse and a number of others. Anne Le Naour came in as Technical Director, and valuable improvements were made in both the vineyard and the cellars.

Ch. Meyney produces a second wine, Prieur de Meyney.

Vines are planted on a favourable sloping rise composed of gravel, sand, limestone and a deep layer of blue clay, the latter principally planted with Merlot and Petit Verdot. Being near the estuary, the vineyard is largely protected from frosts. The average age of the vines is 35-40 years, with fruit from the younger vines typically used for the second wine.

Grapes are sorted twice, first in the vineyard and again in the winery, and then fermented in vats. Larger vats have been replaced with a range of smaller sizes to enable more individual plots to be vinified separately. The grand vin is aged for 15 months in 30% new French oak barrels; the second wine, made with fruit from younger vines, typically sees 10–15% new oak.